Failure: The Federal Misedukation of America’s Children

A book event

For nearly 100 years the federal government left education almost entirely in the hands of the citizenry and state and local governments. But in 1979, with the creation of the U.S. Department of Education – a sprawling bureaucracy with 153 programs, 5,000 employees, and an annual budget of approximately $70 billion – the federal government intruded itself into almost every area of K-12 and higher education. What caused this dramatic transformation? Has it improved student performance? And how can we best ensure that America’s students will get the education they need for thriving in an increasingly competitive, global economy?

Education policy expert Vicki Alger argues that federal involvement in education has been an epic failure – a failure of programs, a fiscal failure, and a failure with educators, parents, and students. Alger assesses, identifies, and articulates a strategy for success – namely, decentralizing education policy by ending federal involvement, returning power to state and local governments, and implementing parental choice for the citizenry.

Vicki E. Alger is Research Fellow at the Independent Institute and author of more than forty education policy studies, co-author of Lean Together: An Agenda for Smarter Government, Stronger Communities, and More Opportunities for Women; Short-Circuited: The Challenges Facing the Online Learning Revolution in California; and Not as Good as You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice.

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